Monday, March 14, 2016

Having two young kids, one toddler and one infant, makes our mornings a little crazy. Adam and I both work full time, but luckily he goes in much later than me so he does daycare drop off. That doesn’t mean that we’re not all struggling and juggling in the morning to get out the door though.

A few weeks back my friend shared an article with me about the editor of Harper Bazar (a major fashion magazine) who wears the same thing to work everyday. Fireworks went off in my brain. Oh my how much simpler and easy my morning would be if I didn’t have to think about what I should wear to work! “I’m doing this” I told my friend. So I started looking for a “uniform”.

I work in an architectural office and we get “casual” Fridays, but day to day dress isn’t business professional, business casual is fine. However working with designers you see a lot of “Style”. I have always been what you would classify as “Classic Preppy” I shopped JCrew before it became mainstream, I fell in love with Lands End a few years back. Jeans and a white shirt is my go to. But I can’t wear that everyday so I turned to Lands End and sure enough they actually had a “uniform” section in their women's department. Another reason I LOVE L.E., they have Tall sizes.

I found a shirt that came in 4 colors, could be warn tucked in or out, came in TALL, was machine washable/no iron and was pumping/nursing friendly. As for pants I have LOVED Macy’s Style&Co. brand for years. They are easy care (no iron), inexpensive (less then $30 a pair) and super comfy (elastic waist & tummy panel). I found 4 different styles, all in black. I have two black work skirts and a few styles of black and gray shoes so I was set there.

With all my pieces in place I headed to work a few weeks ago in my new uniform and haven’t looked back since. Side note: I also removed all of my other clothes from my closet and will bring them back in as I wear them. Getting dressed in the morning is a no brainer and I actually have time to think about accessories, which I never did before. The outfits are comfortable and look appropriate for work.

Whether or not anyone in the office has noticed I’m basically wearing the same thing everyday I’m not sure, no one has said anything. But that’s what I wanted. I tried to find a “uniform” that didn’t really draw attention to itself and kept it simple, I just wanted it to blend in.

So what does it look like? Here are the first two weeks in my uniform. Side note, I think selfies are stupid and narcissistic, so I did my best to make them as ridiculous as possible while still showing off the “uniform” for journalist purposes. Also, we don’t have a full length mirror in the new house yet, so I took all the photos in the work bathroom before I pumped, so I have giant boobs. (TMI??? sorry, get over it)

So what do you think? not bad right? I think I look professional and put together. I can mix and match the pants/skirts with each top and add scarfs, cardigans and different shoes to mix up my look. So far I’m loving getting dressed in the morning. I have more time to snuggle my babies and I am getting out the door on time.

Friday, February 5, 2016

We had our little boy October 19 and it's been a whirlwind ever since. Moving into the new house, having a baby, hosting guests and going back to work has consumed my time. But here's a short recap to let you know we're alive, well and happy!
Jude came into this world via c-section shortly after lunch (no lunch for me!) Monday October 19, 2015.

Big sister wanted to hold him right away!

He finally got a name on day two. Gerard is after my father. Jude was on our short list.

We headed home day 4 and settled in.

He's been growing ever since and is thriving!

He is a great baby(not sleeping though the night yet!) he rarely fusses and is always so smiley. He stared at daycare this week and everyone had fallen in love with him there.
We are beyond blessed.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

You read that right…we have FINALLY moved out of the condo I purchased 12 years ago and into a single family house! We ended up staying in the Temple Terrace area after much thought and consideration. We always wanted to move to St. Pete, but after weighing everything; this was the best place for us.
1. It’s close to our work (15-20 min commute) with Adams late hours we just didn’t want him having to drive 45 min at 3 am.
2. We LOVE our daycare. We struck gold with Ms. Jones. not only is she affordable, but she’s wonderful with Charlie, we trust her and Charlie has learned so much from her. We couldn’t stand the thought of moving her.
3. Church/Schools We like our church and that there is an elementary school at it. And if school time comes and we can’t afford catholic school there is a public elementary school right next door.
4. House prices. While we didn’t get the big house on the big lot we hoped (it sold 1 month before we sold) the houses here are considerably less $ and larger than those in St. Pete.
So that’s basically why we decided to stay put after years of saying we’re moving across the bridge. Now the house… I know you’re all dying to see the house! We have BIG plans for the future and little plans sooner and now some unexpected repairs sooner than later-but don’t get me started on that!
Our new little home was listed as a 3/2 1560 SF Florida Ranch. Here is the current layout of the house. (click photo to enlarge)
There are some funky features, but the previous owners, who had owned it sine 1968, one was in a wheel chair so it was adapted for that.
This is the south side of the house. I would like to update the color at some point.
This is the North Side/back yard. We have some plans to spruce it up.
The back yard…more plans…but there is an orange tree packed with oranges! Luckily I have a brother who is in landscaping!
Now for the inside tour. These were taken on our Walk through day before we moved in.
The Garage:
The laundry/storage to the right of the garage. (with my new w/d!)
Coming in from the garage to “the “cage”
The entrance to “the cage”
The entrance to the house from the cage.
The storage room.
Entering the house from the cage. we’re using this room as the dining room.Looking into the house from the dining room towards the front door. Anyone want that light??
The KitchenThe living room:The hall to the bedrooms:
Hall bath-that used to be a window. Bedroom 1, we’re using it for guests:Charlie’s room:
This is where we’re sleeping:
Which leads into another room:
Where a lot of boxes are being stored!
The “master bath”
We’re happy to be settling into our new home and put our stamp on it. Thanks again to all that helped us in this process! Kelly and Kym our realtors; Jane, John and Dawn our mortgage brokers; the title companies that came to our house for BOTH closings and of course those who helped with the big move! Barb, Monica, Jimmy, Aunt Pat, Aunt Annette and Uncle Doug! We couldn’t have done it without you!
Stop by for a visit next time you’re in Temple Terrace!